Rangers didn’t quite manage to provide Philippe Clement with all the tools he needs in the summer, but there was a clear plan in place.
Five senior first team regulars left and have been replaced by younger, more dynamic players with some of them like Jefte and Connor Barron impressing already.
A number six was openly accepted by the manager as being a target and a free agent move remains a ‘possibility’ with a late bid for Samuel Edozie showing that another winger was also considered.
They are two key positions that remain short of depth in the squad.
- READ MORE: Rangers Net Transfer Spend Summer 2024
John Gilligan eases Rangers transfer fears
With money tight, the question fans are asking is – will Rangers have money to spend in January?
The best person to answer this is John Gilligan, the interim chairman who, in an interview with Sky Sports, has settled fans’ nerves:
“There will be [money for Clement to spend in January]. I think with any manager at any football club, if you can sell and make a profit then it helps with the buying. It doesn’t depend on it but it certainly adds to it and helps with the whole opportunity of improving.
“We keep talking about the player trading model because ideally we want to be able to bring in players and get them to play properly for the team and do well, but hopefully we sell them on and reinvest.
“We’ll have accounts coming out quite soon and at the AGM, it will become apparent that the financial sustainability is solid.”
With the wage bill dropping and revenue from sponsorship deals increasing, the £10m deficit that John Bennett talked about previously is almost taken care of.
Rangers must stick to the plan for January transfer spend
On top of a transfer budget already planned for, if Clement manages to make money for players who are sold, he should be handed any profit too.
Qualifying the Champions League would have made a difference and accelerated plans but it looks like the Gers boss is going to have to do it the hard way.
As seen with Barron and Jefte though, Rangers don’t have to break the bank to bring quality to the club.
Nils Koppen detailed a 14-point player trading model and signing younger players who can be developed is a huge part of that.
January is always a harder window to get things done, however, Oscar Cortes and Mohamed Diomande made an immediate impression when they arrived.
Hopefully, the recruitment team already has something similar up their sleeves and that John Gilligan is a man of his word.
If the board thought they were unpopular just now, not backing the manager in January would be the final straw.
